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We are the soul of a newspaper. Not just any newspaper. We are the soul of the Toronto Sun from back in the day when it was the tabloid everyone in Toronto talked about. We are the people who helped make it happen. Sadly, most of us are long gone from the Sun. Many are now deceased. But when we were all a part of the Sun, as it was, it was a vibrant, kick ass paper that captured the impossible dream.

Monday, 5 January 2009

The rumoured exit of Graham Dalziel, the Edmonton Sun's editor-in-chief, has been made official by publisher and CEO David Black.

Dalziel, a Day One Edmonton Sun employee, was rumoured to have resigned over numerous jobs lost at the tabloid on Black Tuesday. (Early reports from sources said Edmonton lost 21 employees.)

The "announcement" to employees from Black reads:

"Graham Dalziel, Editor-in-Chief of the Edmonton Sun has announced he will leave the paper effective January 1, 2009, after 30 years to concentrate on his farming operations.

"Graham said he had a fantastic career at the Edmonton Sun and will really miss all the talented and wonderful people in all departments who made it such a fun place to work for more than 30 years.

"Graham will be missed. He played a big part in the success of the paper over three decades. He led a team that was always one step ahead of the competitor on major stories that made the Edmonton Sun the quality paper it is today.

"Please join me as we wish Graham well in his new career."

Reading between the lines, we'd say Dalziel stood up for his employees and is making his exit in protest. We admire that in management.

Dalziel sounds like a man who would rather shovel shit on his farm than accept the shit emanating from Quebecor.

Did he get a sincere "thanks" in print for his three decades at the Edmonton Sun?

An addition to your wonderful blog (as a Sun employee in the former Bowes chain that has now been officially 'swallowed' by the parent) - - - I'm not sure if the 21 jobs figure is exact at the Sun, although judging from the look of the editions since Black Tuesday it's probably a safe bet. One spot lost was a reporter just over a year into the sports dept job (I should know, I took his spot at a weekly just outside the city) and at least two spots on the news side along with several freelancers now toast. On the "plus" side, there's a lot more of that national drivel appearing from those still employed in Ottawa (why? we'll never know).As for Graham, he was a huge asset to all of the weeklies around here aside from the great work he did at the Sun with a much smaller staff than the Journal and dealing with corporate 'bobbleheads' above him.He will be missed dearly out here.Oh, and to keep the count up, there were at least 60 jobs lost at weeklies in Alberta on Black Tuesday - 13 at Spruce Grove/Stony Plain (1 editorial, 1 sales along with the entire composing dept), publishers at Morinville and Mayerthorpe (Jim Gray has been there since the begin, more than 30 years), 1 front office staff each in Fort Sask. and Sherwood Park, 1 editorial staff in Leduc and Leduc's publisher (who was a regional head) resigned (we think that's what it was anyway).There's so much instability in the land of prosperity many people (me included) are looking to the dark side to be saved.To Quebecor as Johnny Carson once said - 'May an elephant foot make you sing soprano...

Dalziel didn't fall on his sword like former EIC Paul Stanway did during earlier rounds of layoffs. It's more likely Dalziel had been biding his time in recent years, waiting for the best moment to solicit a buyout and get the hell off the sinking Sun ship. There was no admirable protest here. Dalziel didn't make a peep when the layoffs came down.

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Current and former Sun Media employees, this blog is for you. We'd like to hear your feelings about the Sun, pro or con, your experiences and if no longer with Sun Media, what you are doing today. There is no "I" in Toronto Sun Family. Just "we."